Anagram games hit a specific nerve. Hand anyone a pile of scrambled letters and they start hunting for words. These 10 games build different puzzles around that one itch. If letter games are your thing, our roundups of spelling and vocabulary games and word search puzzles cover the neighboring itches.
Nobody pays to be on this list, and we earn nothing when you click through to a game. Read how we choose and review games.
1. Scrabble GO
Developer: Scopely | Released: 2020
Platforms: iOS, Android
Difficulty: Medium to hard | Price: Free (ads + IAP)
Where to play: App Store · Google Play
Every Scrabble move is an anagram challenge: rearrange 7 tiles to form the highest-scoring word on the board. Scrabble GO added social features, daily challenges and tournaments, while keeping the tile-laying core that has run competitive word play for 85+ years.
Screenshot: Scrabble GO, Scopely.
2. Bananagrams
Developer: Bananagrams Inc. | Released: 2006 (physical); app ~2013
Platforms: iOS, Android
Difficulty: Easy to medium | Price: Free with ads; paid version available
Where to play: Website
Race to arrange all your letter tiles into a personal crossword grid. No shared board, no turns, just speed. The physical game sold 11 million+ sets. The digital version adds solo modes and timed challenges.
Screenshot: Bananagrams, Bananagrams Inc.
3. Wordscapes
Developer: PeopleFun | Released: 2017
Platforms: iOS, Android
Difficulty: Easy to medium | Price: Free (ads + IAP)
Where to play: App Store · Google Play
Swipe through a letter circle to find all the possible words and fill a crossword-style grid. Wordscapes mixes anagram solving with crossword logic. You have to work out what words the letters can make, and which word fits each slot. Over 100 million downloads.
Screenshot: Wordscapes, PeopleFun.
4. Anagram Magic
Developer: Various indie developers | Released: Various
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web
Difficulty: Easy to hard | Price: Free
Pure anagram games where you are given scrambled letters and must rearrange them into valid words. No frills, no story, just letters and time pressure. Several apps compete in this space, but the core idea is the same in all of them. If you want a tool to nudge you along without spoiling the answer, see our guide on using a word unscrambler without giving away the puzzle.
Screenshot: Anagram Magic.
5. Jumble (Digital)
Developer: Tribune Content Agency / Various apps | Released: Newspaper since 1954; digital apps ongoing
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
Difficulty: Easy to medium | Price: Free
Where to play: Website · App Store · Google Play
The classic newspaper anagram puzzle, now digital. Unscramble four words, then use the circled letters from each to solve a final punny phrase. Jumble has run in newspapers since 1954. It is one of the longest-running word puzzles in American media. The digital version keeps the cartoon illustrations.
Screenshot: Jumble, Tribune Content Agency.
6. TextTwist
Developer: GameHouse | Released: 2001 (web); mobile versions followed
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
Difficulty: Easy to hard | Price: Free (web); app prices vary
Where to play: Website
Given 6 letters, find as many words as possible of any length. You must find at least one six-letter word to advance. TextTwist was a staple of early-2000s casual web gaming portals and still works in its digital format. The timed mode adds real pressure.
Screenshot: TextTwist, GameHouse.
7. Letterpress
Developer: Loren Brichter | Released: 2012
Platforms: iOS
Difficulty: Medium to hard | Price: Free with a paid upgrade
Where to play: App Store
A territory-capture word game on a 5x5 grid where every word you spell is an anagram challenge under competitive pressure. Letters you claim turn your color, and you lock them by controlling the letters around them. You need strategy, vocabulary and a read on the board.
Screenshot: Letterpress, Loren Brichter.
8. SpellTower
Developer: Zach Gage | Released: 2011; SpellTower+ 2021
Platforms: iOS, Android, Mac, Steam
Difficulty: Variable | Price: $4.99 (no ads)
Where to play: App Store
Find words in a grid of letters, clearing tiles and setting off cascades. Longer words clear more tiles. SpellTower rewards creative anagramming, and spotting an 8-letter word buried in the grid is the whole payoff. It has been a fixture of best-iOS-game lists for over a decade.
Screenshot: SpellTower, Zach Gage.
9. Word Blitz
Developer: Lotum | Released: 2013
Platforms: iOS, Android
Difficulty: Medium | Price: Free (ads)
Where to play: App Store · Google Play
A timed multiplayer word game where you swipe to form words in a grid against an opponent in real time. The 2-minute rounds create heavy pressure to find anagrams fast.
Screenshot: Word Blitz, Lotum.
10. Pairdle
Developer: Logic Loft Games | Released: 2026
Platforms: Web (logicloftgames.com/pairdle), iOS, Android
Difficulty: Moderate | Price: Free
Where to play: Website · App Store · Google Play
A different kind of letter rearrangement: instead of single letters, you move two-letter pairs around to find a hidden six-letter word. The board has 12 tiles, made by cutting four real words into pairs. One of those words is the answer and the other three are decoys, so three of the tiles spell the answer across the FIRST, MID and LAST boxes. You get six guesses. A blue tile is the right pair in the right box, a red tile is in the answer but in the wrong box, and a grey tile is not in the answer at all. It is anagramming in chunks: first spot which pairs belong together, then work out their order.
There are three levels a day, all free, on the web too: Pairdle, Pro (8 letters, 16 tiles) and Expert (10 letters, 20 tiles). Practice mode gives you as many extra boards as you want, and they don't count toward your stats.
"I like this fresh new take on word games. Easy to place and a good brain challenge!" Sdreader12, App Store
Quick Guide
| If you want... | Try... |
|---|---|
| Competitive word building | Scrabble GO |
| Speed anagramming | Bananagrams or Word Blitz |
| Casual letter puzzles | Wordscapes |
| Classic newspaper puzzle | Jumble |
| Indie design quality | SpellTower |
| Pair-based logic twist | Pairdle |
By Tim Nye, Logic Loft Games
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